To Till or Not to Till…

It’s that time of year when farmers think about fall field operations.  A recent “Wallaces Farmer” article addresses whether or not fall tillage is needed and the difference between fall and spring tillage.

Iowa State University Extension soil management specialist Mahdi Al-Kaisi and his colleague, ISU Extension ag engineer Mark Hanna, provide tips to help farmers decide if fall tillage or spring tillage best fits their operation. When making a tillage decision, these two experts advise farmers to take two things into account: soil conditions and soil management. “These two considerations are critical to achieving the intended results of any tillage system,” said Al Kaisi and Hanna.

They further note that deciding when to till is also dictated by many factors that are not easy to control, including soil moisture conditions and soil temperature. “These two factors can have significant impact on soil fracturing, tillage depth, clod size and level of soil compaction,”  said Al Kaisi and Hanna.

For more tips and guidelines, read the complete article here:

http://www.wallacesfarmer.com/story.aspx/fall/versus/spring/tillage/which/is/better/9/42327